Safety Agency Says 22 Million Vehicles Recalled in 2013

The 2004 Corolla was one of the cars recalled by Toyota in 2013.Credit
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For the second year in a row, Toyota led the nation with the most vehicles recalled: nearly 5.3 million in 2013.

The cars and trucks from Toyota and its Lexus brand were among the almost 22 million vehicles recalled last year in 632 recalls, according to figures released on Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That figure compares with nearly 16.4 million vehicles recalled in 2012 in 581 actions and is the highest number since 2004, when recalled vehicles hit 30.8 million.

Chrysler Group ranked second, with almost 4.7 million vehicles recalled in 36 actions. The automaker’s recalls included about 1.6 million 1993-98 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-7 Jeep Liberty models because N.H.T.S.A. said there was a danger of fires in rear-impact crashes.

Toyota’s tally included about 780,000 vehicles that were first recalled in 2012 for a suspension problem. The automaker had to recall those vehicles again in 2013 because the first repair was not effective in all cases. Without that repeat performance, Chrysler would have had the most recalls in 2013.

Honda and its Acura brand were third, with 15 recalls involving almost 2.8 million vehicles. Hyundai took fourth with nine recalls affecting 2.2 million vehicles. Ford came in fifth with 16 recalls of almost 1.2 million vehicles. Kia was sixth, recalling nearly 1.1 million vehicles in three recalls. Recalls by other automakers were below one million vehicles. General Motors was ninth, with 23 recalls affecting about 758,000 vehicles. Among the major automakers, Mercedes had the best record, with 747 vehicles recalled in four actions.

The safety agency noted that its ranking “should not be interpreted as an indication of what N.H.T.S.A. thinks of any particular manufacturer or its products.” It also said that “these summary numbers do not factor in or weight averages based on production” and, consequently, “the largest manufacturers tend to top the list each year.”

The federal government began requiring automakers to recall vehicles for safety defects in 1966 and has since presided over 540.8 million recalled vehicles. Of the nearly 22 million vehicles recalled in 2013, almost seven million were recalled because the agency initiated an investigation, often on the basis of complaints filed by consumers. But more than twice that number — about 15 million — were recalled because the automakers reported a problem.

In addition to vehicles, the agency also handles recalls for child restraints, tires and automotive-related equipment.

In 2013, more than 36,000 child restraints, which included child seats, were recalled in two actions, both triggered by the manufacturer. That is the smallest number of child restraints recalled since 1983, when almost 5,000 were recalled. The record was 10.3 million in 1990. In 2012, about 71,600 child restraints were recalled in four actions.

About 1.4 million tires were recalled in 11 actions in 2013. That compared with 1.1 million for 2012, in 18 actions. The record was 1978, when about 14.7 million tires were recalled.